Tag and terminal-strip



E. A. EVERETT.

TAG AND TERMINAL STRIP. APPLICATION FILED mm2, 1920.

1,373,4:1 6. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

UNITED STATES EDWARD A. EVERETT, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

TAG AND TERMINAL-STRIP.

Specification of Letters` Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

'Application filed January 12, 1920. Serial No. 350,838.

' T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. EVERETT, a citizen of the United States,and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Tag and Terminal- Strip, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combination designation tag and connectingstrip for insulated wires and has for an object to provide a convenientmeans for connecting wires on a terminal block by a metallic strip andsecuring to said strip a detachable fiber tag upon which the designationof the wires used for identification purposes may be embossed. Theobjects of this invention will be more fully understood from thefollowing specification and drawings, in which, Figure 1, is a plan viewof two terminals includinfr my invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofone of these term1nals,Fig. 3 is a plan and elevation, partly in sectionof one type of connecting strip and Fig. 4 is a plan and elevation,partly in section, of another type of connecting strip embodying myinvention.

Insulated wire, as used for many purposes such as the controllingcircuits in railway signaling is taken from the same reel and applied tovarious circuits. An aggre gation of these wires usually terminates inrelay boxes and junction boxes and in order to preserve the insulationthey are connected to terminal posts mounted on porcelain insulationblocks. For testing purposes, it is necessary to pick out the controllinwire for any particular circuit instantly. tagging system correspondingto the circuit designation is thus necessary for the different wires andthe present invention provides for applying thist'a ging system to theinsulation terminals by t e use of an embossed strip of liber applied tothe connecting link of thev terminal as hereafter described.

12 is a lporcelain terminal block known as an R. S. terminal, that is, adesign of insulated terminal approved by the DRailway lSignalAssociation, having the terminal posts 13 and 14 towhich the insulatedwires 21 and 22 connect. A circuit between these'n wires is establishedby the metallic strip 17. The terminal block 11, Fig. 1, is similar to12 except that the terminals 15 and 16 are located on closer centers andthe connecting link 18 is shorter than link 17, this is known as a shortconnecting link. The arrangement as shown in Fig. 1 shows theseterminals as they are placed in a relay box or junction box in rowsadjacent to each other with the insulated wires, 19, 20, 21 and 22,connecting to the binding posts, these wires being provided with thedesignation tags as indicated.

For convenience in opening the circuit between the terminals the link isprovided with a slot 31 for one terminal post and with a jaw 32 for theother terminal post and when the binding screws are released the linkmay be slid back far enough for jaw 32 to clear the terminal post andthus open the circuit. lVings 33 are turned down from the links toengage the hexagon nut beneath as shown and thus restrict the freedom ofthe link when itis disconnected.

Wings 34 are turned up from the links forming a slide in which the fibertag 23 is placed. In link 17 the ends of these wings are slightly dentedat 35 to prevent the tag 23 from sliding through the slot formed bywings 34 and when this link is in place as shown in Fig. 2, the bindingpost 14 prevents this tag from moving out of the slot at the enteringend. This tag has embossed on its upper side the characters 122 J C1correspending to the designation tags on wires 21 and 22 as shown. Ifthe designation of these wires should be changed or other wires placedon these terminals, the tag 23 can easily be replaced when strip 17 isin the position shown in Fig. 1 by another tag having the properdesignation. l

n the short connecting link shown in Fi l, there is no space between thetermina s to accommodate a fiber tag such as used with this invention, Itherefore extend the end of the link beyond one of the terminals andturn over the win s 34 to formA a. slide engaging tag 24 and t e end ofthe strip is turned up at 36 to prevent the tag from passing through theslot. This tag carries the designation 122 J C1 corresponding to thedesignation on wires 19 and 20. The tag may be replaced by straighteningout the turned up portion 36 or by releasing the link to the extent ofthe slot and, of course, it may be replaced when the link is taken offthe terminal.

The value of this type ofterminal is greatly enhanced by being able t0combine with it a wire designation for identification purposes that iscomparatively inexpensive and readily replaced.

Having thus described .my invention, I claim: y

l. In combination, an. electrical conductor having a designation, aplurality of binding posts, a metallic link connecting said posts, agroove formed by turning over the edges of said link, a tag placed insaid groove and having a designation corresponding to said conductor,means at one end of said groove for preventing the passage of said tagand one of said binding posts preventing the passage of said tag fromthe other end of said groove when said link is connected to vsaidbinding posts.

conductor and means for. preventing said A tag from leaving said groovewhen said binding posts are connected by said metallic link. v

3. In combination, an electrical conductor having a designation, ap-lurality of binding posts, a metallic link connecting said bindingposts, a groove formed by turning over the edges of said link, a tagplaced in said groove and having a designation corresponding to saidconductor, means for preventing said tag from leaving said groove ateither end when said metallic link is connecting said binding posts andsaid tag being free to leave said groove at one end when said bindingposts are disconnected.

4. In combination, an electrical conductor having a designation, aplurality of binding posts, a metallic link having a slot connectingsaid binding posts, a groove formed by turning over the edges of saidlink, a tag placed in said grooveand having a designation correspondingto said conductor, means for preventing said tag from leaving saidgroove at either end and means including said slot for permitting it toleave said slot at one end.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 31st day of December, A. D. 1919.

EDWARD A. E-VERETT.

